Show 308, January 26, 2019: Chef / Proprietor Jesse Paul, The Wooden Spoon, Escondido

Jesse PaulEscondido’s Restaurant Week is happening January 27 to February 2, 2019. It’s a week of unrivaled deliciousness. No tickets needed… just show up, order the special at a participating restaurant, and make new memories! The Wooden Spoon Restaurant is participating.

“The Wooden Spoon Restaurant provides the freshest quality foods, sourced from local San Diego farms and artisans. We are organic when possible, GMO-free, sustainable and natural. Our food is made with love and respect. We are guided by passion and driven by perfection. Welcome to The Wooden Spoon!”

Their featured item for Dine Out Escondido! (at Lunch or Dinner) is a Beef Dip on a French Roll with au jus and Beer Mustard.

Many of the Dine Out Escondido! restaurants (including The Wooden Spoon) donate $1 for every special they sell during the restaurant week to the North County Food Bank‘s FOOD 4 KIDS Backpack Program.

We’ll meet Chef/Owner Jesse Paul.

Show 307, January 19, 2019: James Floros, Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank / North County Food Bank Continues…

James FlorosEscondido’s Restaurant Week is happening January 27 to February 2, 2019. It’s a week of unrivaled deliciousness. No tickets needed… just show up, order the special at a participating restaurant, and make new memories!

Many of the Dine Out Escondido! restaurants donate $1 for every special they sell during the restaurant week to the North County Food Bank’s FOOD 4 KIDS Backpack Program.

The North County Food Bank’s FOOD 4 KIDS Backpack Program provides weekend backpacks filled with nutritious food to elementary school students living in poverty (Escondido’s Lincoln Elementary is in the program).

Kids on the program receive free breakfasts and lunches at school Monday through Friday but face hunger at home on the weekends. The backpack of food they receive sees them through the weekend so they can return to school ready to learn on Monday. To feed one child for the entire school year costs $200; for one month it costs $22, and for one weekend it costs $5.50.

Go here for more info about the Food 4 Kids program.

Show 145, November 7, 2015: David Barnes, Co-Founder, Crows Pass Farm, Temecula Continues…

David Barnes of Crows Pass Farms in the AM830 StudioCrows Pass Farm is owned and operated by David and Tina Barnes. It’s located in the heart of Southern California’s Wine Country in Temecula, CA. Named for the crows that pass over each autumn evening as they travel between vineyards to roost, the farm began in 1991 with a fistful of strawberry plants, a few carrots, peas and a dependable truck.

They learned the ropes participating in Southland farmer’s markets where they came to specialize in chef-direct relationships.

Crows Pass Farm produces year round crops with seasonal specialties on their 40-acres. Highly seasonal items prized during their short season are strawberries, asparagus and mulberries. They have been growing organically since the beginning, with flavor as their top priority.

The drought has had a major negative impact on their operation. Labor is also hard to come by. Of their 40 acres they are only farming on about 10 acres at present.

The temperate climate of Southern California affords Crows Pass the opportunity to produce crops year-round and the Temecula Valley is fortunate to benefit from its proximity to both the desert and the ocean which create long, sunny days with cooling ocean breezes.

They are able to utilize this ideal climate in accordance with each season’s distinctive opportunities. Neighboring horse ranches deliver The Farm’s building block of compost they carefully develop to create a living soil to nourish the plants and combat pests.

Farmer David is now also working with Mountain Meadow Mushrooms in Escondido, an organic mushroom farm.

 

Show 130, July 11, 2015: Dr. Bill Sysak, Beer Ambassador – Stone Brewing Co., Brew Hee Haw Craft Beer Roundup

Doctor Bill SysakBrew Ha Ha Productions, creator of award-winning craft beer festivals in Orange County, along with the OC Fair, are presenting the 2nd Annual Brew Hee Haw Craft Beer Roundup on July 18-19, opening weekend of the OC Fair. The Brew Hee Haw offers day and evening tasting sessions and includes free admission to the OC Fair, a commemorative festival glass and special presentations by “Dr.” Bill Sysak, Craft Beer Ambassador & Certified Cicerone, at the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido.

Additional new features at this 2nd Annual event are unlimited 2 oz. pours, more than 80 craft beer selections from some of the best breweries in the county, and no ticket fees when you buy the print at home tickets. Two VIP sessions are offered on Saturday, July 18th (12-4 p.m.) & (5-9 p.m.) and one on Sunday, July 19th (1-5 p.m.). Two GA sessions are offered on Saturday, July 18th (1-4 p.m.) & (6-9 p.m.) and one on Sunday, July 19th (2-5 p.m.), so check the OC Fair’s schedule for those days and plan to make a full day of it.

General Admission tickets are $50 and $60 the day of the event. VIP tickets are $65 and $75 the day of the event. A portion of the proceeds from Brew Hee Haw will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to ocbrewheehaw.com. For more information on the OC Fair, visit here.erage standard and ensuring the beverage philosophy is followed at all Stone Brewing Co. venues.

Show 130, July 11, 2015: Dr. Bill Sysak, Beer Ambassador – Stone Brewing Co., Brew Hee Haw Craft Beer Roundup Continues…

Doctor Bill SysakBrew Ha Ha Productions, creator of award-winning craft beer festivals in Orange County, along with the OC Fair, are presenting the 2nd Annual Brew Hee Haw Craft Beer Roundup on July 18-19, opening weekend of the OC Fair. The Brew Hee Haw offers day and evening tasting sessions and includes free admission to the OC Fair, a commemorative festival glass and special presentations by “Dr.” Bill Sysak, Craft Beer Ambassador & Certified Cicerone, at the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido.

Additional new features at this 2nd Annual event are unlimited 2 oz. pours, more than 80 craft beer selections from some of the best breweries in the county, and no ticket fees when you buy the print at home tickets. Two VIP sessions are offered on Saturday, July 18th (12-4 p.m.) & (5-9 p.m.) and one on Sunday, July 19th (1-5 p.m.). Two GA sessions are offered on Saturday, July 18th (1-4 p.m.) & (6-9 p.m.) and one on Sunday, July 19th (2-5 p.m.), so check the OC Fair’s schedule for those days and plan to make a full day of it.

General Admission tickets are $50 and $60 the day of the event. VIP tickets are $65 and $75 the day of the event. A portion of the proceeds from Brew Hee Haw will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to ocbrewheehaw.com. For more information on the OC Fair, visit here.

Bill Sysak, or as he’s more often referred to, “Dr. Bill,” is the Craft Beer Ambassador for Stone Brewing Co. “Dr” Bill is a Certified Cicerone and has proven expertise in selecting, acquiring and serving craft beers. At Stone, he’s responsible for setting the beverage standard and ensuring the beverage philosophy is followed at all Stone Brewing Co. venues.

Dr. Bill also answers the frequently asked question of what qualifies as a “Craft Beer.”

Show 119, April 25, 2015: Executive Chef Riko Bartolome, Montage Kapalua Bay, Maui

Riko BartolomeSan Diegans fondly remember Chef Riko Bartolome as the chef/proprietor of the highly regarded Asia –Vous in Escondido. Chef Riko is now the executive chef of Montage Kapalua Bay in Maui where he oversees all culinary experiences there including the resort’s signature restaurant, Cane & Canoe. With extensive Hawaiian experience, Bartolome created a menu at Cane & Canoe inspired by the Island’s multicultural heritage serving modern Hawaiian fare, with Asian influences.

Known for his signature Asian fusion style Chef Riko graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and began his career at Hyatt Regency Aventine in La Jolla, CA. Bartolome has directed culinary programs at luxury hotels including Grand Wailea Maui, Hawaii, as well as Hotel Nikko’s Pangaea (Los Angeles), Hotel Del Coronado’s Crown Room, W Hotel, and Asia-Vous, all located in the San Diego area.

Earlier in the year Chef Riko participated in the Maui Convention and Visitor’s Bureau’s “cultural chef exchanges” series. The culinary tour sent top Maui chefs to the West Coast to join chefs in their own kitchens in Los Angeles and San Francisco to create joint food experiences.

Chef Riko is a big supporter of encouraging local Maui farmers. He even foresees the day when premium chocolate is produced “bean to bar” on Maui from cacao pods grown there. Hawaii is the only state in the USA where cacao trees can grow.

Chef Riko joins us from Maui.

Show 12, January 5, 2013: Anita Lau of the “Diary of a Mad Hungry Woman” Blog

Anita blogs about her dining adventures in Orange County and San Diego. She is not afraid to experience something new or adventurous. All of her informative and objective postings feature food photography to illustrate her meals. Very useful blog…

Anita shared some of her recent San Diego County dining.

First up was Valley View Casino near Escondido. This is a resort hotel and casino with a number of appealing dining options. Anita enjoyed her suite which actually had an impressive “valley view.”

Rib Eye at Black and Blue at Valley View CasinoThe fine-dining restaurant there is Black & Blue with is a upscale steakhouse with lots of seafood options, too. Her favorite dish was the 10 oz. Filet Mignon which she found “tender, flavorful, and cooked a perfect medium rare.”

Valley View is well-known for their lobster buffet which Anita partook of the next day. She consumed more of the tasty lobsters than she cares to admit to.

Menuderia Don Vicente in National CityAnita has had menudo all over California but it’s a dish that has been previously lost on her. A stop at Don Vicente Menuderia in National City changed all of that.

There was a 25 minute wait for a table so she knew she was in the right place. Anita was also the only non-Latino in the joint which was a plus. No Americanized, combo plate Mexican here…She loved the aroma of the tripe soup and the reaction upon tasting was “ahhhh, so so good!”

There are other Mexican specialties on the menu and the fresh tortillas are house-prepared.